Sunday, August 26, 2012

On August 24, 2012, exactly one week before the 15-year anniversary of Prince Harry’s mother’s death, The Sun has become the first British newspaper to publish naked photos of Prince Harry”.

The Telegraph reports that The Sun, a “Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid said it was carrying the pictures in today's edition so the millions of people who get their news in print or have no internet access could ''take a full part in that national conversation''.

It appears ironic that almost 15 years ago Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was as much covered in the news and part of a “national conversation” as Harry is today.

However, Princess Diana’s coverage was not about the events of her life, but the events of her death.

Fifteen years ago, the now 27-year-old Prince Harry (Prince Henry of Wales, born Henry Charles Albert David on September 15, 1984) was 12 years old when the news broke about his mother’s fatal car accident.

On August 31, 1997, Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was fatally injured in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris while being pursued at high speed by the Paparazzi.

Princess Diana’s boyfriend at the time, Dodi Fayed, and their driver and bodyguard, Henri Paul, also died in the accident.

For young Prince Harry, those words have most likely reechoed a thousand times during the past 15 years. Losing a parent at any age is a devastating experience for any child, royal or not royal.

It is Princess Diana’s legacy to her children to treasure one’s own life and the life of others that makes Prince Harry today who he is; a stylish 27-year-old young man who knows to be royal and human at the same time. His mother would be proud of him.